The Eurovision Song Contest was born in 1956 in a post-war context, when Europe was seeking to rebuild in terms of identity and cooperation. In the first edition, only seven countries participated, to which others were added in the following years, such as Spain in 1961. Since then, Spain has always participated in Eurovision until now. RTVE has decided not to participate in Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Austria, if the organization responsible for the Contest does not expel Israel for the "genocide," as confirmed by the UN in Gaza.
This was decided by the majority of the Public Corporation's Board of Directors during the meeting held this morning. It was not on the agenda to discuss Spain's participation in Eurovision at this time, but pressures from the Government and some of its partners in the last hours led the president of RTVE to announce that the withdrawal of Spain from the Contest would be proposed to the board members if Israel participates. With a Board consisting of 11 members appointed by the Government and its partners and only four chosen by the PP, the decision was clear: Spain would not participate for the first time in its history in the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel remains.
After a heated debate, 10 board members voted in favor of the withdrawal. The four board members who voted against were appointed by the PP in the Senate. All board members agreed to condemn the deaths in Gaza. However, the contradiction of withdrawing from Eurovision and not from other competitions and events in which Israel participates was raised. Although the vote was successful, it was not even necessary to bring it to a vote, as according to the RTVE law approved by the Government and its partners, the decision-making authority lies with the president of RTVE, and the Board would not have the authority to decide, as it is a television program.
What Televisión Española aims to do is actually to pressure the EBU to expel Israel, joining other countries that had already announced their withdrawal from the Contest in recent weeks (Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland). However, Spain's withdrawal represents a major blow, as the first country belonging to the Big Five to announce its withdrawal if Israel remains.
Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom are part of this select and privileged group of states, as they have certain benefits for the Contest such as direct access to the final. However, they are also the countries that contribute the most financially to the EBU, so Eurovision without Spain represents a significant financial blow to the organizer.
So far, the EBU has not made any further statements beyond accepting the letters sent by several countries, including Spain, requesting the opening of a debate to expel Israel. The EBU is not in a hurry, as it has until December to make a decision, as it did with Russia when it invaded Ukraine. However, European public broadcasters are aware that pressure must be exerted to prevent the EBU from making a lukewarm decision that could lead to situations like those in the past editions.
In addition, Spain's withdrawal could trigger a cascade of withdrawals from other Big Five countries, such as Belgium or France, where the debate on Eurovision is ongoing. In other words, the decision of the Board of Directors not only affects Spain and its participation in Eurovision but the entire structure and organization of the Contest, which should prompt the EBU, at the very least, to expedite the debate and make a decision before December to prevent an increasing number of countries from withdrawing, which could even lead to the cancellation of the Contest.
The issue with RTVE's decision, which did not have the support of the PP board members, is that it addresses this situation only in the context of Eurovision, while Israel participates in many international events and sports competitions. One of the clearest examples is the World Cup that will take place in the summer of 2026. Will the Spanish national team be asked not to participate if Israel does? According to the Prime Minister's statements this Monday following the pro-Palestinian protests that led to the cancellation of the final stage of La Vuelta a España, "Israel, just like Russia, should not be in any competition."
With Russia, the EBU did not hesitate to expel it, something that is not happening with Israel, as seen in the Contest last May when the organization even sent a warning letter to RTVE due to the comments made by its presenters, Toni Aguilar and Julia Valera, describing the number of deaths at the hands of Israel in Gaza.
The EBU, which had originally defended the apolitical nature of the Contest, eventually succumbed to pressure and in 2022 withdrew Russia's candidacy to prevent the competition from being overshadowed by the crisis in Ukraine. The rules of the Eurovision Song Contest for expelling a country are very clear: violating voting rules, having financial debts with the EBU, manipulating televoting, and violating Human Rights and engaging in armed conflicts. It is this last rule that led to Russia's expulsion and is the one that Spain and other countries are using to pressure the EBU to expel Israel.